LIFE'S LIKE THAT
A short story by Amrita Singh
Vrinda Bakshi - An aspiring lawyer, is already running late for a meeting. She gets up in the morning and prays. It is an important day for her. A law firm is going to interview her and this would her first small step into the world and into financial independence and then maybe she would find time to settle down in life. Her parents have gone back to the native village to spend some quality time in the fresh air, amongst those who care. Delhi has never really been their first love; it has never felt like a place where they have belonged for the last thirty years of their life.
Despite having emotional bonds stemming from a complete circle of life, they feel the city can still never be their own; it is too aggressive and too self centered.
She flicks the car key off the hook, looks around quickly, checking if she's forgotten something. The last time she forgot to turn off the fan and she felt worse when she forgot to put out clean water for Matt, her loving dog; one of the many things that remind her of her parents, when they were around, so much got taken care of.
She skips two, three stairs in one go, “Oh, NNO", she screams when she sees a jeep parked horizontally in the narrow lane where she lived and right behind her Maruti 800. She decides against ringing the bell of her neighbors to get it removed as she does not have time to argue with the lady. In a split second she rushes off to the road in search of an auto, flailing her arms wildly to stop one. Autos in Delhi have a mind of their own, they are unpredictable and often one cannot know whether a For Hire auto would stop or not or would take you as a passenger or not.
This place was not very far away, merely 20 kilometers and the auto wallah asked for double the applicable charges. With a loud sigh, she said, “You know what, you guys take advantage of someone's circumstances but I do not have a choice to walk away today, let's go"
Vrinda is onto her phone, starting her morning with GOOGLE Dev, searching for some information regarding the law firm, founders, board of directors and net profit for the last three years etc. It helps in the interview to be informed about the company, which you are applying for.
A BMW zips by, oblivious to any traffic rules or the traffic itself. Lanes in Delhi are not meant for lane driving, it is a mere decoration for the wide roads. Even in traffic, people jump lanes with the sole motto of getting their car ahead by 1 car, even if there is no place to move an inch after that.
Around 500 metres ahead, an accident has taken place merely a scratch but people have it as their divine right to stop the car in the middle of the road to catch each other's collars and a long heated discussion ensues. Unprepared for the sudden halt, the BMW applies power breaks and in the process steers itself towards the left. The auto, in which Vrinda is travelling, scrapes by the car leaving a small scratch in the left rear of the BMW.
Out of nowhere a traffic policeman arrives and the driver of the BMW alights from the omnipotent vehicle and forces the driver of Vrinda’s auto out on the road. Succumbing to the pull, the Auto Wallah turns back and says, "Madame Ji, Aap koi dusra auto le lijiye, aap ko jaldi hai na". (Madame, you please take another auto, you are in a hurry)
While the driver thrashes the auto wallah physically and verbally and the traffic constable looks on, Vrinda is in a fix. She does not feel good about ditching the Auto Wallah midway, but the interview and all her dreams beckon her.
On the next abuse hurled at the poor guy, Vrinda finds herself out of the auto and knocking on the window pane of the passenger seat of the BMW. As the window is rolled down, a grey haired gentleman looks blankly at her.
“Sir, do you think your driver was driving well, I am a lawyer myself and I think this is gross misuse of the money and the power, which you have endowed your driver with. The Poor Auto Wallah cannot even begin to pay you for the scratch on your BMW, and then what use is this argument and look at how they are beating the hell out of the man. Is it justified, because I have a good mind to take this up. Either you stop it or I shall."
And with this Vrinda retreated to the punishment zone, where onlookers had created a small circle. Pushing her way across, pinched in return and screamed at her loudest note at the traffic constable.
“Do you know what a human rights violation is, Mr. Constable," and suddenly the constable sprung into action, as if her voice provided him the power dose. He pulled the driver off the Auto Wallah and sent him back to his car. He raised a finger to silence the Auto Wallah and sent him back his auto.
By the time, Mr. All Powerful, got down from his car and told the constable, “It is okay".
Those three magic words did the trick and the traffic snarl eased out as quickly as it began.
The Auto Wallah, Pankaj, as he told his name was, thanked Vrinda profusely saying, “Madame ji, Agar aap nahin hote to naahi sirf meri aur pitaai karte, mere saare din ki kamaai bhi le lete aur appas mein baant lete. Bade Logon ko to koi farak nahin padta, aam aadmi barbaad ho jaata hai." Isiliye hum paise zyada maangte hain, sahi to nahin hai, par kya karein."
(Had it not been for you, madame, they would have beaten me for a long time and also would have taken away all my day's earnings and would have divided it amongst themselves, the driver and the constable. Rich people do not get affected by this, but it destroys the poor man. This leads us to ask for more money from the customers, we do not feel good about it, but what should we do.)
Though she could not make it to the interview in time, the panel was kind enough to meet her and she did get the job finally
Three years later, Vrinda’s diary on July 7th read………..
As I lay in the bed today, I thought of this incident and remembered my grandmother’s words, “a good deed always comes back”. And who could believe that it has, so beautifully, for me. My leg is cast in a plaster and wherever I see, I see a bandage on myself. . My eyes are heavy; wanting to go back to the dreamless slumber induced by the medicines I am being given. Thankfully, the room has no mirror. But I am waiting for the nurse to come and give me the injection, so that I can have uninterrupted sleep.
Last week, as I walked towards the coffee shop, for a meeting with the client and too preoccupied with a case, I could not see a truck losing its control and come hurtling towards me. As I turned to look around, the truck hit me and then I only remember lying sprawled on the concrete. I do not know, how long did I keep lying there. But the doctors have convinced me that, I am a survivor, thanks to my will power and to the angel who brought me to the hospital on time, informed my fiancé Arun and waited outside the emergency ward, till he reached the hospital.
And the angel was an AutoWallah called Manik, who saw me fighting for Pankaj, one of his brethrehen. Manik told the doctor that, People like this madam, are rarely found in today’s world, you have a moral obligation to save her; not only because she is your patient, but it is also critical for the decaying standards of the society today.
The doctor relayed this sentence to me and Arun, word by word and I sit overwhelmed at this. I wonder, what I did so differently, that not only Pankaj but another AutoWallah whom I did not even notice, remembered me after so many years and saved my life.
Delhi does not stop for someone who is ebbing away from the shore of life.
No one has the time and yet a deed came back to me and gave me a new lease of life.
Vrinda
July 7’2010.
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